The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-04-21
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

The Ne,us and C6urier is fond of giving
lectures to people away from home, and
does not even always wait to be sure that
there is any justification for the exercise
ofits taste in this direction. In a recent
article, headed Thinning ont the Dan.
gerous Class" our contemporary says:
There is certain fearful looking for
Of Judgment and fiery indignation in
South Carolina unless there shall speedi.
sly, be o cessation of the homicidal mania
which seems to have taken possession of
our people.
Tn Anderson County on Wednesday q
constable shot colored man through the
vitals because he "stoutly resisted" arrest,
and, the colored man. will probably die of
Ills injuries. In Edgefeld County q
colored man died on Thursday from the
effects Of fa stab inflicted by q white lad
not yet,outiof his teens The Anderson
negro cursed O lady, and when the con.
stable went to arrest him be made such
resistance that, in order to "save himself"
tkec constable had to shoot his "assailant."
ntheg gEdgefeld case the negro refused
10 carry ogt some orders that had been
eiven, BY his youthful employer, fight
ensued between him and his Young mas
DER; who used his knife Gin SELF. defence"
: and with fatal effect. g OF course the deao
men were the aggTessors-the dead men
are always the aggressors.
It. must not be forgotten that in the
Anderson affray the!man who was shot
was t'a notoriously dangerous negro" ," and
tits claimed, that the Edge6eld boy acted
In sell. defence. The men who are slain
are always "notoriously dangerous" but
until they are killed no one really knows
how dangerous they were. The story is
told of an old Confederate private who
was detected by. AN officer, in. the act Of
killing sheep. The private was equal
10 the occasion, as Confederate privates
were equal to any occasion. Upon being
severely reprimanded for disobedience of
orders, he put in the plea ofself. defence,
declaring with much sincerity ofexpress.
Ion that he did not intend to allow any
bodyaisheep to try TO bite him. Such is
the cases in more than half ofthe home.
icides that occur in this State, in which
the plea Of self.defence is urged as excuse
FOR shedding human blood-the boys and
men ] who commit homicide do not
intend to allow nybody's sheep to bite
them. Itwould be funny ifit we're not
80 serious. sa.sess:
Now, it turns out that no such homi.
eide has, occurred in this County, and
that our contemporary has given Ander.
son County . lecture on what might
have been. The negro reported to have
been killed died of pneumonia, We are
informed and no warrant of any kind
had been: issued, or attempted to be
served upon him., These facts spoil the
Nsws and Ceurisrss moralizing in this
instance, although we endorse every sen.
timent conveyed by the lecture on "what
might have been" erroneously termed by
our contemporary, Trimming cut the
Dangerous Glass; If our contemporary
viii pardon US, however, we would sug.
/ gest that its moralizing would have more
influence if it would take its examples
nearer home, instead Of hunting up
strangers and distant acquaintances to
make the text of its lectures. There has
NOT been q more unprovoked homicide in
the State, in our opinion, than the shoot
ing of the eolored Democrat, Stephen
Riley, in the city of Charleston some
time ago BY . prominent gentleman Of
that city, and yet the Nesos- and Courier
contained no syllable of condemnation
for the deed, nor any moral lecture on
the subject. It was an excellent oppor.
tunity for. our contemporary to have
treated the public to a most touching
and Highly moralizing homily on what
Il is; pleased to term, the "homicidal
mania" Ifit neglects such opportuni.
ties at home it ought, atleast. to wait for
real occurrences before lectnring people
abroad. It is q clear case Of the mote
in the hrothes's eye, obscuring She beam
IN its own eye. -.
II